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The author explores the benefits of making arts experiences and instruction a regular part of the elementary classroom routine and suggests ways to incorporate them. She investigates the connection between the arts and learning, to see how the arts enhance education. Through selected literature, government leaders, business people and educators speak out on behalf of the need for the arts in education. The author offers a variety of ideas and resources that the classroom teacher can use to become more arts minded in her lesson planning.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Teachers College, Columbia University. / Typescript; issued also on microfilm. Sponsor: Jack Mezirow. Dissertation Committee: Dwayne Huebner. Includes tables. Includes bibliographical references.

<p> Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education, or STEM, is an area that is currently growing in popularity with educators (Becker &amp; Park, 2011). A qualitative study consisting of interviews was conducted and data were gathered from three leaders in professional STEM organizations, four principals from elementary STEM schools, and six teachers from elementary STEM schools to gain their perceptions of elementary STEM schools in Missouri. The perceptions of leaders in professional STEM organizations regarding STEM education were consistently all positive, and each leader was a proponent of STEM education at the elementary level. The perceptions of principals and teachers were also similar in response to interview questions. Both principals and teachers reported STEM education has the ability to increase student engagement and student achievement. The principals provided information that showed a shift in teacher attitude toward STEM from hesitant to giving full support. The teachers offered answers to the interview questions that showed favor and support for continuing professional development in regards to STEM education. Results and conclusions from this study may assist schools in deciding if STEM education should be integrated within their curriculum.</p>

<p> This thesis reviews literature researching creative thinking and applies the findings in a curriculum designed to develop creativity in elementary age students in the U.S. Educators and business leaders recognize creativity as a key need for 21^st century success, but creativity scores have been going down. Since current research shows correlations between creative thinking, questioning strategies, and contextual connections, teachers need to weave these processes into instruction. The National Coalition for Core Arts Standards recognized the importance of creativity and proposed new national standards which include 4 key components: creating, responding, presenting and connecting. This six-unit curriculum synthesizes the new National Visual Arts Standards (NVAS), questioning strategies, and contextual connections to increase creativity in elementary school students in the United States. </p>

<p> This mixed methods study utilized a survey and semi-structured interviews to investigate upper elementary teacher knowledge for teaching reading to struggling readers to determine what a sample of third through fifth grade teachers knew and understood about the myriad factors that may have contributed to their students&rsquo; reading difficulties.</p><p> Quantitative findings revealed that the teachers possessed the strongest knowledge in the areas of comprehension, vocabulary, and reading fluency, and that their knowledge was the weakest related to foundational reading skills such as phonics and morphological awareness. Quantitative analyses also suggested that participation in certain types of professional development, most notably learning communities, may have improved the teachers' knowledge, but that in general, variables such as education, teaching experience, and professional development, had very little, if any, significant effect on the teachers' knowledge.</p><p> Qualitative findings included five themes, or five areas of teacher knowledge: knowledge about struggling readers&rsquo; foundational skills difficulties; knowledge gained from working with colleagues; knowledge gained from learning communities; knowledge about diagnosing students&rsquo; reading weaknesses; and knowledge about the effects of struggling readers&rsquo; lack of confidence. In each of these areas, teachers discussed the specific knowledge they felt they possessed or lacked, as well as the most significant sources from which they had developed this knowledge.</p><p> Comparisons of the quantitative and qualitative data suggested that experience teaching primary grades, effective work with reading specialists, and participation in learning communities may each have helped the teachers develop the knowledge needed to work with struggling readers. The quantitative and qualitative data comparison also indicated that while teachers did not always possess adequate knowledge for teaching foundational reading skills, they felt that this was an area of knowledge they needed and wanted to develop so that they could more effectively help their struggling readers.</p><p> This study concluded with a discussion of the implications of its findings, as well as recommendations for policy, practice, and future research. This study&rsquo;s findings may provide preservice and inservice teacher educators with valuable information they can use to inform their curriculum and support programs for upper elementary teachers.</p>

<p> This qualitative multiple case study sought to discover third-grade teacher perspectives of the strategies used when effectively implementing Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI). Five exemplar third-grade teachers were purposefully selected based on recommendations from their principal and instructional coach. The purpose of the study was to learn how the implementation of the essential elements of CGI affected planning of mathematics lessons and how those elements were implemented into mathematics instructional practices. </p><p> The study utilized triangulation of data sources, including semi-structured interviews, observations, and document analysis. Based on the results from the first research question, planning for CGI lessons was found to be more difficult compared to planning for traditional mathematics lessons. The teachers spent more time developing word problems due to the lack of resources, because CGI is to be customized to meet the needs of the students. For the second research question, five themes emerged as strategies the teacher used for implementing CGI during class: 1) conceptualizing, 2) articulating, 3) using multiple strategies, 4) questioning, and 5) scaffolding. These strategies were employed by all teachers, but were differentiated by each teacher to best meet the needs of the students.</p>

<p> <b>Purpose:</b> The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify and describe the most important factors that motivate or deter teachers in deciding to take on the informal or formal role of teacher-leader in Riverside County elementary school districts. </p><p> <b>Methodology:</b> Endemic of a Delphi method, the instruments used within this study collected data from an expert panel of elementary school teacher leaders from Riverside County, California through electronic surveys in a four-round process. The expert panel consisted of teacher leaders in formal and informal roles as selected by elementary site administrators using criteria established by the researcher. The researcher collected data and tabulated frequency distribution, percentages of participant responses on the level of importance, median scores, and factors reaching 70% consensus. </p><p> <b>Findings:</b> The research data showed that increasing student achievement, making a difference, creating a collaborative community, being informed, and informing others are the most important factors motivating teachers in deciding to become a teacher leader in a formal or an informal role. Additionally, making decisions was important in a formal role, and recognition and respect were important in an informal role. The most important deterrents for a formal and an informal teacher leader role were lack of time, lack of support, lack of direction or goal, and increased responsibility. Another deterrent in a formal role was fear; for an informal role, it was not having enough pay. </p><p> <b>Conclusions:</b> These findings support the need to build a collaborative culture of authentic decision-makers through distributive leadership. The lack of time, support, and direction that teachers experience must be addressed by building teacher-leadership capacity. </p><p> <b>Implications for Action:</b> Districts should train teachers in the Teacher Leadership Model Standards, provide teacher pre-service coursework in leadership skills and distributed leadership, train or hire administrators and teachers who support an authentic collaborative leadership culture, recognize and monopolize individual&rsquo;s areas of expertise, re-examine job titles, change the traditional school calendar, create or change support personnel positions to be housed at the site level where teacher leaders can support teachers on-site.</p>

<p> This descriptive case study examined the meanings public elementary school teachers (N = 13) made of learning to enact citizen science projects in their schoolyards in partnership with a local Arboretum. Utilizing Engestr&ouml;m&rsquo;s (2001) framework of cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT), the Arboretum&rsquo;s outreach program for area Title 1 schools was viewed as an activity system composed of and acting in partnership with the teachers. The major finding was that teachers designed and mastered new ways of teaching (expansive learning) and transformed their citizen science activity to facilitate student engagement and learning. I highlight four important themes in teachers&rsquo; expansive learning: (a) discussion, (b) inclusion, (c) integration, and (d) collaboration. Teacher learning communities formed when colleagues shared responsibilities, formed mentor/mentee relationships, and included student teachers and interns in the activity. This program could serve as a model for elementary school citizen science education, as well as a model for professional development for teachers to learn to teach science and Environmental Education outdoors.</p>